Turners Poll - Your preference in wood - bark inclusions or no bark inclusions

[Roger Chandler]

Steve's post of his cherry burl hollow form got me thinking........mostly about my own likes and dislikes about wood. My concern is that since I prefer turning wood without voids and bark inclusions that I may just be eliminating half of the available wood for turning.............

Some turners prefer wood with bark inclusions......some prefer to turn wood that does not have them........thought it would make an interesting poll to see where everybody is on this, and help some of us see how we line up with the majority of turners............some may think ....who cares! :D Don't get snarky.....:eek:......just tell us what you like the most and why.........if you would not mind! Thanks! :)

[Eric Holmquist]

I tend to prefer without inclusions, but do like to turn one with them occasionally. I probably turn at least 5 without for every 1 with.

I just don't find the experience to turning with inclusions fun, it is an annoyance I put up with once in a while because the rest of the wood makes it worth the trouble.

[charlie knighton]

depends on the piece of wood wheather i turn it or not, but if i do turn it , i will alsways duct tape while hollowing it

[Tony Pridmore]

Since we're talking hollow forms, my vote goes to "with inclusions and voids". However, I like them as accents and generally do not care for them if they dominate a piece. I appreciate the technical difficulty of turning forms with massive voids, but normally find them less visually appealing.

[Tim Rinehart]

+1 on what Tony said!

[John Keeton]

For the most part, I think wood with voids and inclusions looks better with minimal embellishment - beads, grooves, doodads, etc. Since I like to add various design elements to my work, I lean toward clean wood. However, I really enjoy seeing what others do with the voids, and there is a part of me that wants to turn more of those!

[Harry Robinette]

I turn both. It's mainly what I'm turning if we're talking hollow forms w/inclusions,if we're talking bowls without.

[Fred Belknap]

I agree with what John said, I tend to like simple forms and a little bark, knot or worm holes enhance the appeal. I'm not very good at embellishments so I do a lot NE and stuff with voids but not to extremes.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Roger I guess to me it doesn't make any difference. Whatever comes well I just turn it. If it has voids or inclusions I leave it as is and if it is clean I may dye or do some type of embellishment.

[Bill Bolen]

Guess I'm in the with camp, but turn plenty without. Anything that will make the grain come alive is a good thing in my book!

[Kathy Marshall]

I can go either way, depends on the wood and the form. I'd rather see them in a hollow form than a bowl, but I've done plenty of bowls with them. But I agree with John, less embellishments on a piece with inclusions and voids.

[Reed Gray]

If I am going for artistic, I want the natural defects, except for rotten/punky wood. If I am going for practical, then I want clean and clear.

robo hippy

[Tim Chase]

I find myself going for more and more defects such as the bark inclusions on bowls and voids or bark on other forms not only hollow but taller shaped pieces. Most people that see my work in person are attracted to them as well as anything spalted.

[John Beaver]

Since I like to create designs with wood, I prefer no inclusions. I am one of the rare turners who often likes less figure then more.

[Gary Herrmann]

I like burl chunks to have a few small bark inclusions. They seem to make the piece seem more alive. Who was it that said "If you can't eat soup out of it, it's art." Was that Andy?

Really large bark inclusions show mastery of the craft. I'm making a large bowl for a neighbor that let me harvest her pear tree. It's from the bottom of the trunk. It has a bark inclusion the size of my palm on one side. I described it for her, and she said "please leave it, I'd love to see that." This bowl could be 14" in diameter when I'm done. That's an old pear tree.

[Don Alexander]

i like the character that voids and inclusions provide

[Bill Wyko]

I'd have to say, I like the test of my skills a piece with voids gives me. My passion though is in segmenting, using the colors & contrasting grains to create a picture or a dimentional effect is a fun & rewarding aspect of turning. One down side though, you spend more time gluing instead of turning. Upside, you get to turn continuously long grain.

[Michelle Rich]

it depends..are the holes, inclusions attractive? or not? i see so many that look out of balance, too big, ugly, that it ruins the piece. Just because the holes/incusions are there, does not automatically make it a great piece.

[Ed Morgano]

I go both ways depending on the piece of wood I have and what I'm making. I really like the voids and inclusions but not all the time. Some pieces need to be smooth and shinny. :)

[Dennis Ford]

Like many others, I do both. I like to use what-ever comes my way and try to make the most of it. (I generally exclude pine, post oak and willow but have also turned those on occasion).

[Prashun Patel]

I dislike the technical challenge voids provide; I love a smooth, worry-free ride on the gouge.

However, I love the design challenge voids provide. To me, they make an otherwise formal form look natural. On a vessel that's supposed to hold something, I also like the irony that a hole gives to the form. Everything in moderation, though...


I made a cherry bowl last year that had a 1" knotty hole in the bottom half. I brought it into work and put it on my desk. Most visitors looked confused. A couple told me how I could stick putty in there and fix it. Finally one of my customers came in, picked it up, and said, "How beautiful!".

"But there's a hole in there," I replied

She said, "That's the point."

I gave it to her.

[Mike Cruz]

Roger, I would say that it all depends on the purpose of what I'm turning. Obviously, a salad bowl would be a little...difficult...to use with major (or any) inclusions/voids. But I believe that what makes wood so pretty is the uniqueness of each individual piece. And voids/inclusions make those pieces just that much more different. Same goes for any figure, crotch, spalting, burl, or curl. I just lump voids/inclusions in with those. But, again, for a utility bowl or vase, you obviously want it to be "sound".

[Tim Leiter]

I don't like bowls with the bark and voids. Some of them, even ones I see on this site, look to me like pieces of wood I would throw away. I understand there is a challenge in turning such pieces but I like a smooth, clean well proportioned piece with a nice finish with no bark or holes. Just because it is difficult to turn, does not make it a piece I care for. JMO

[Alan Trout]

The bigger and the more holes and voids the more I like it. Being I do mostly casting I will make pieces out of things most would burn.

Alan